night, light and darkness
by Nobodythestormcrow
Summary: sequel to program theta. Updates 2/month. After the whole trojan horse debacle, the Dusk of Nyx is now masquerading as Princess Leia's handmaiden while being a rebel spy and gathering new allies for the war against Thanos. She can neither confirm nor deny that she is basing her identity on Arya Stark, and did she mention that she is the evening star, counterpart to Lucifer?
1. Help from Afar

**Disclaimer: anything you recognize, I don** **'** **t own it.**

Nyx had taken a more intimidating appearance, with galaxies spiraling across her dark skin, while her sclera glowed with the light of the moon and stars, contrasting directly with her night-colored pupils and irises. Her Dusk however, retained the unassuming appearance of a nine-year old girl. Or at least unassuming until she chose to appear otherwise, in which case she could become a terrifying, awe striking presence, as befitted one of her station and authority, even if she was an active field agent in the matters of divine espionage.

Nyx's domain and powers were not limited to merely the demesne known by its inhabitants as Earth, as was the case with her 'brethren', instead reaching to all places touched by night and day, for Hemera was her daughter too, and one of her House. So, it was an easy matter to simply _be_ in front of a meditating (praying) old man.

'Greetings, Obi-Wan.' She said calmly.

The old Jedi master's eyes flew open in surprise, as he took in the being before him, as well as the cloaked and hooded Dusk who stood a step behind Nyx, face veiled in shadow. Nyx knew exactly why he was so shocked—he could not sense Her presence before him, though his eyes told him otherwise. The small trick was simple for Her, for She was present when the Creator willed the Force into being, infusing it with a small fragment of sentiency, and it was a greater statement of Her power than any flashy display.

'Your prayers reach farther than you know, Jedi Master.' Nyx said, 'And you should be careful, lest they reach beyond their intended source. Fortune is with you in this circumstance, and I answer your cry for aid. However, I would suggest caution in the future, as your message was sent through the whole of that which you call the Force, and it was only through chance that it passed through My House before being received by other beings that are more blatantly dark or incapable of subtlety.'

The old man was cautious, and he was wise, but he was also unfamiliar with the proverb 'curiosity killed the cat', so he asked, 'I thank you for your offer, but I would prefer to have more information on you before I accept your help.'

Nyx smiled, 'I am Nyx, mortal, the Eldest creation, the physical embodiment of Night, mother of Day, guardian of the world.' As She spoke, giant wings, one pair bat like, another reminiscent of an owl's, with the third the wings of a moth rose up from Her back, each a window into night, showing whispers of Her true wings, which no mortal could comprehend.

She continued, 'I help, for I am, as always, in conflict against the lesser Darkness, as it has been for many millennia. It has grown to the point that I can interfere more, and I have now acquired a suitable mortal agent to carry out My Will.'

'Dusk.' She said, and her handmaiden/assistant stepped out from the shadows. 'my Dusk will assist your purpose sufficiently. After all, if one of the Skywalker siblings has a proficient Force-user watching over him, it would only be fitting for the other to have one as well.'

Nyx then grasped Her Dusk's shoulders and then, they were upon the gardens of Alderaan.

'Do not disappoint me Dusk.' She said.

'Of course not, milady.' The nine year old, brown skinned, bowed, rubbing her bindings as she departed.


	2. the Morningstar and the Capture

_I_ _n which Petra gets a new (and possibly permanent) roommate in her head._

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I don** **'** **t own anything that you recognize.**

A being of many identities, many names, and for lack of better words, many faces (she would never forgive the HYDRA goon who likened the children (products) of the Red Room to the Faceless Men.), snapped awake, with a very strong impression that the day would be a horrible one.

Usually, she would have ignored such premonitions and went on with her day, slightly warier than usual, though she would have been alert anyway (a spy must always be alert), but this time, she would not. She could not confirm or deny that her decision had something to do with her being suffocated.

However, there was a rather strong sense of wrongness, since a) She did not have anything obstructing her air pipe or pressing down on her throat. b) There weren't any foreign gasses within her room. c) She could not sense any more metaphysical powers preventing her from breathing.

In short, she was feeling as if she was being suffocated without actually being so (the conclusion might have also been helped along by her thoughts being perfectly coherent after three or more minutes without breath). This in turn made her decide that she was not suffocating, and that the feeling was merely a telepathic illusion by someone who was either not familiar with her, or only testing her. Judging by the skill required, the latter was more probable.

So, stopping her fake gasps and convulsing, she sat up in bed. The illusion ceased. 'Impressive,' a voice said from behind her, 'so it seems that you apes have brains that are good for something after all, although it might also be that your mind couldn't process the telepathic illusion.'

The girl turned, her face automatically settling into comfortable blankness. A man, dressed in a wholly white formal outfit with longish brown hair that reached to the back of his neck, oddly pale eyes, and rather boyishly handsome features (Samifer in the End!verse) sat at the head of her bed. She was oddly tempted to insult him back. But she was not the Teumessian Fox, myth of the shadow world for nothing, so instead, drawing upon her face as Petra Erinyes, handmaiden of Princess Leia, she inclined her head a centimeter or two, enough to show respect but not reverence, and asked, 'Who are you? By your manner of speech, I see that you consider yourself superior, and by your appearance, I see that you are not one who lives upon the mundane world, nor upon one of the other nine realms, but your choice of clothing is distinctly that of earth. So, an angel I presume? Although the power showed gives one the impression that you are merely a projection, and not present in your entirety, and your eyes show that you are no Seraph, and I think that a Cupid would hardly be interested in me.'

The man sneered at her, 'I am your mistress' cousin, brat. I am Lucifer the Morningstar, and you, I see, are the one who holds Undomiel's Grace as well as the mantle of Nyx's Dusk. My cousin decided to give you a chance, so I will judge if you are fit, and see if you, unlike most of the mud monkeys on earth, can learn from my lessons and survive.'

Lucifer then gave her a very cheerful smile, 'My favorite coz will then either have a competent Dusk who is an exception to humanity's flaws, or, a very dead former Dusk, if you prove to be just like the other billions of cockroaches. Either way, Nyx won't have an incompetent brat, and I will get some more entertainment. It's boooring down in the Cage you know, and watching the whole of humanity getting progressively worse and worse though the previous five Evenstars eyes gets old quickly.'

The girl nodded, 'I understand, and although it is intelligent of you to slow my perception of time, I have duties that I must tend to, and a mission that I must fulfill, unless of course, you have other orders from my Lady.'

A sudden bout of dizziness strikes the girl, and she barely managed to stay upright. Lucifer's cold breath was suddenly in her ear as he hissed, 'Not yet a worthy Dusk, remember? You're just a servant, and will speak of my cousin as your mistress.' He released her, and then smiled again, 'Of course, you're referring to Princess Leia as 'My Lady' too, and you wouldn't want to a human confused with the Eldest Creation, would you?'

'Of course not.' The girl said, calmly and respectfully, 'and may I return to being Petra Erinyes now?'

Lucifer's expression was again a smile as he said, 'you have identified the slowing of your perception of time, and also the illusion of choking, so you may.' Then, ominously, he added, 'For now.'

The girl nods respectfully to him and the stars frozen in flight past the window moved again. Lucifer did not vanish, so she ignored him as she changed into the formal garb of the handmaiden of the Princess of Alderaan, while at the same time, changing her identity, her impulses, and her thoughts, her face if you will (appearance can be changed by how one acts, and Petra Erinyes is not a noticeable girl) to match her apparel.

Then, walking into her closet, the 'nine year old' donned her undetectable Red Room gloves, for though they wouldn't be of much use in fighting against armor incased stormtroopers, the higher up commanding officers still suffered the weakness of human flesh. Then, she slipped the needle-blades up her sleeves, where they wouldn't be noticed, and pinned her hair up with her claws (they were a handspan long each, coated in poison, and very sharp, with the hilt being a ring that was won on the first knuckle of her fingers. They also served as hairpins, and were wonderful as smuggled weaponry). Making a final inspection of the closet, and ascertaining that there was nothing left that might incriminate her further, the little assassin opened the closet door and stepped into the light, thankful that the night vision of Nyx's House did not need to be adjusted to the light, since it was metaphysical and not mundane.

The Devil was standing by the door. Petra then thought to him, 'Please don't make any coming out of the closet jokes.'

'I wouldn't think of it, Meda dear,' he answered, 'and I see that you did read about our special connection, my possible subordinate.' Satan seemed pleased, for the most bit, although he had demonstrated quite well how interchangeable his moods were.

Then, Petra Erinyes went out, fading into the shadows of everyone's mind, even when the stormtroopers boarded the ship, and she killed more than half of the stormtroopers attacking her and more importantly, her charge.

This was sufficient to tell the imperials that she wasn't just a little kid, resulting in them having at least some care when capturing her, and making sure that she could survive capture, while being put into the same cellblock as the princess (she knew that they might use her for psychological torture against the princess, maybe even harm her badly enough so that she would need medical attention, and then be thrown into the same cell as the princess in an attempt to appeal to Leia's 'saving people thing'.).

 **T** **his is set at the day at the** **beginning** **of Star Wars,** _ **A New Hope**_ **, when Leia was captured. Petra is not** **referred** **to as Dusk because Dusk is also the Evening Star, and therefore, the Morningstar** **'** **s underling. So, she can** **'** **t be called Dusk without Lucifer** **'** **s say-so, and as far as he is concerned, she** **'** **s still a filthy human, but, since his cousin likes the brat, he will give her a** **'** **chance** **'** **, and project out of the Cage in the same way he did in season 12 and as Hallucifer in season 7. Petra won** **'** **t be as affected as Sam as she is a SPY trained in torture resistance, and she also is not affected by the same terror Sam is** **afflicted** **with, since she did not spend a couple of centuries in the Cage.** **T** **his is before SPN starts, so the characters won** **'** **t make too many appearances, and there won** **'** **t be any of such from the main characters.**

 **Read and Review,**

 **Most sincerely,**

 **Nobody**


	3. Interrogation, Manipulation, Desperation

A slightly angsty chapter, in which Petra seems pitiable, Alderaan is destroyed, and Leia becomes the equivalent of a Faerie Queen (From the Dresden Files) in power. Also, the Morningstar psychologically tortures his potential subordinated just a little bit as a test. She passes.

Two beings who no one wanted to anger were currently in the same cell block. The most dangerous was Darth Vader, who was, without a doubt, the most feared person on the giant battle station. The other was a bit more disappointing, even if she was, in truth, the most deadly individual in existence.

* * *

A techie watched the camera feed from the cell in which a slight, average looking girl lay underneath the only piece of furniture in the chamber—a metal bench welded to the wall at a rather low height. She observed that with the kid, most of the subtle furnishings of the cell were lost on the occupant. The bench, originally designed to make sitting down awkward, while also making it hard to lie down, provided a perfect outcropping to block the over-bright light (another feature), while the small frame of the little girl fit tidily into the space beneath it. The claustrophobic close walls and high ceilings were also made ineffective by both the bench and the brat's small size, and Teresa wouldn't have been surprised if the imp actually _liked_ the room.

Zooming in, she could see that the Princess' handmaiden's eyes were closed, and there were dried tear tracks running side ways down to the ground, even though her breathing was calm. So, despite first impressions, the nine year old was terrified, presumably of the sounds of torture echoing in the corridors.

* * *

In truth, that was all, for lack of a better analogy, bullshit. The child hid blood red eyes under closed lids, while styled hair concealed vulpine ears. The Teumessian Fox was a supernatural predator, and it could identify most, if not all sounds from the times of yore. The screams and pleas were recorded, if not artificial. However, the Fox could hear the voices of Vader, and Tarkin from the droid containment rooms. They were going to interrogate Leia (Leader, Ally, Friend, PROTECT), and though the Fox could do nothing about it (as Petra so helpfully reminded themself), they could cause damage another way, by doing what they did best, manipulating their opponents.

The Fox's lips twitched upward, and displayed the tips of sharp, crystalline teeth. Let the games begin. Amber eyes developed pearly sclera, brilliant green irises and inhuman pupils colored the blue-black of the deeps*. In her hair, furry ears melted into her skull.

* * *

*Not many people (in truth none of them) actually notice the difference between the Daughter of Neptune's pupils and normal black ones though.

* * *

Petra Erinyes opened her eyes, rolled out from under the stainless steel bench, and fidgeted. She then sat on the bench, before moving again. The Devil appeared and smirked at her, and the cell's walls turned red, and there was plenty of blood on the walls too. The body of a pre-pubescent, blond haired girl was slumped on a chair before her, covered in messy cuts, and there was the aftertaste of blood in her mouth. There was still blood spurting from the girl's (Swallow, she remembered) neck.

A small, elegant, and intricate goblet was pressed into her hand, and cold fingers forced hers to curl around the freezing stem. She would have described it as beautiful, but scenes of torment were carved, delicately, onto the crystal, and it was filled with 120-D-31's blood (Swallow's blood).

"Do you think that you might be drinking human blood again?' the Devil asked, draping himself over her despite his height, 'with the Fox as your alter ego and cut off from Neptune's power, isn't it perfectly reasonable for you to need a quick recharge in the midst of battle?"

"Perhaps." the assassin acknowledged with a slight tinge of despair, and then focused on her memory of the cell, covering the illusion with her own expectations. It didn't work. So, she blinked, and no one opened her eyes. The cell was back to normal. Lucifer stuck his tongue out at her, no one could have been unaffected by the sight, so no one was unaffected.

* * *

Footsteps stopped at the door. Petra the nine-year-old's terrified countenance slid over emotionless calm. The door of her cell slid open. She glimpsed the shadow of a youngish person, before a thug and an interrogation droid walked in. So, good cop bad cop.

"I swear I haven't done anything!" she looked hysterical.

And so, it began.

She pretended to be pretending to be innocent at first, and suggested that if the Empire needed the battle station's schematics, then it could scan the battle station. Her questioner (who was seriously low quality), went livid. The Devil laughed delightedly at her being "cooperative" but unhelpful.

When she finally admitted to being a rebel agent, she was merely concerned about attracting attention because of the brute damaging himself. Then, the situation devolved into screaming*, cursing*, whimpering*, swearing*, and repeated refusals*.

* * *

*very much an act.

*not that much, since she did stick some real curses into the mix. For instance, "I hope you will never have comfortable water temperature or pressure".

*obviously a lie.

*she did her best to get creative and use words with five syllables or more.

*it was funny to see how dark the thug's face could go.

* * *

Finally, the brute left, and after a few minutes, a young woman walked in. "Hi," she said gently, "I'm Ellen. Sorry about that, I wanted to help, but I really couldn't interfere. Not all of us are bad you know, only some. Here."

A cool cup of water was raised to her lips. It swam in her vision, alternating between the accursed crystal goblet of blood and reality. She swallowed, obligingly despite that it was _sweet and salty and metallic and not for drinking_ , sobbing.

"Don't worry. Most of the injuries that you felt weren't real, and neither were the things you saw."

"I know." She whimpered, "But they felt real. Alderaan was destroyed before my eyes I could hear the screams of terror as they were reduced to dust I could see this battle station firing and I could do naught to stop it I felt the heat and destruction for the few seconds before there was nothing left."

"Shh, the Empire is just; it won't kill a planet of innocent people, no matter what." Ellen said. She was sincere. Good.

"I want to believe it, but I c-c-can't! That was why I agreed to help milady deliver the schematics, because none deserve that fate. I know that the Empire itself isn't bad, but it has itself become so corrupt that it is naught but a façade of fairness covering with nepotism and corruption and vice and-" Petra broke off, sobbing.

"Perhaps the Empire is slightly flawed." Ellen soothed, "but the Alliance is causing even more suffering with their guerilla schemes. And they might build a second Death Star, or kill all the people in here to destroy it."

"Perhaps," the spy sniffled, "but if I tell you where the plans are, I would be endangering a lot of innocents. Besides, I don't even know where they are, I was guarding the hallway when milady hid them."

"I know, but do you have anything that might help the Empire? You are a minor; I am sure that if you help, the Empire will be lenient."

The child shook her head. "I understand that the Empire itself is not evil, but the people in it are oft so. Also, I am certain that the fact that I know something is the only thing keeping me alive at this point. The Alliance is more of a meritocracy, at least, and we actually try to keep our word, and prevent this war from going out from between the people who involved themselves by choice, and not endanger innocent bystanders, so I'm sorry, but I will not tell you."

Ellen's heart cried for her to comfort this girl, this child-turned soldier, but she could not. All she could do was, "I will tell them that you are opening up, that way, you will survive for longer."

The nine year old turned red eyes to her and said, simply, "Thank you."

* * *

life DEATH death LIFE life DEATH Death LIFE life DEATH death LIFE life DEATH Death LIFE life DEATH death LIFE life DEATH Death LIFE life DEATH death LIFE life DEATH

* * *

The Death Star destroyed Alderaan, and Tarkin nearly killed Leia in his rage. He tossed the handmaiden into the same cell as Leia, and there, as the Princess of Alderaan's life hung on line, a desperate, powerful, assassin's Will forged in blood, pain, and death created a Mantle, imbuing it with the essence of Alderaan, and in an impromptu coronation, laid it upon the Princess' shoulders (in a metaphysical sense).

The Queen was Dead, Long Live the Queen.

Alderaan was Dead, Long Live Alderaan.

* * *

A farm boy, a "scruffy nerfherder", and a walking, growling, friendly carpet rescued the Queen and her Handmaiden, and Ellen the intelligence officer, disillusioned by the sight of such injustice, joined them.

Once alone, Petra Fury gave the projection of Satan a bow, and the crystal goblet appeared in her hand again, icy cold and filled with warm blood (Apparently, the laws of thermodynamics did not matter to a Archangel. Obviously). She then raised her glass in salute to the Devils own, tipped her head back, and drank. After some desensitization*, as well as some careful applications of her more supernatural heritage, blood did not really affect her that much, not mentally, and not physically. The year of freedom with Winter (Soldier) and Jokul was just a reprieve, and the Red Room's training came back with horrific ease.

* * *

*Accustoming herself to the blood by accepting the taste, dissecting it, repeatedly bringing it up in her memory until it was but another sensation.

 **Ellen is an OC, and basically, I put her there to show that a) the **are always grays in morality, b) that Petra Fury has no scruples about intentionally pushing someone just a bit in order to gain an advantage,** **especially** **if she is not actually** _ **lying and**_ **c) to give The Alliance a bit more help so that the fact that it mostly wins make more sense**** **.**

 **Read and Review please,**

 **M** **ost sincerely,**

 **N** **obody**


	4. a Mantle and an insight into Dusk

Nightmares were almost omnipresent, for as wherever there were sapient beings, there would be Nightmares, since they were the horse-formed manifestations of a being's fears. Apart from the original two, Shadow and Shade, the rest were created by the union of a Nightmare with another equestrian species. This gave Andromeda a telepathic connection with them.

They were also existent upon what was commonly known as the Astral Plane, or one of the layers of the soul. So, Andromeda ' _Warged_ _'_ _(ugh why was she using ASoIF_ _terminology_ _?)_ into one of the few lurking around the space corresponding to the cell. The different senses and the Nightmare's own rage at being possessed (she could sympathize) were discomforting, but her Will won.

Andromeda saw a world like a liquid crystal cave, one utterly different from the way the Astral Plane had seemed when she had ' _Warged_ _'_ into a Nightmare whilst dealing with the other winter soldiers (note the lower case). This one was more interactive, more diluted in power, and more easily accessed. There was a brilliant, multicolored set of items upon Leia's soul: a crown, a scroll, flute, and a sword. They were heavy, and the soul instinctively did not want to accept the flute of emotion or the scroll of knowledge. But Leia wished to do so, thus, as her mind and soul struggled, she was comatose. The Morningstar was no help, and Andromeda knew no means of assistance. The girl released her hold upon the Nightmare, making sure that she locked the doors of her mental labyrinth tightly enough to prevent its entrance. She already had enough trouble with only the Devil in her head.

If Andromeda Dusk Fury was in any way, normal, she would have been extremely anxious now, pacing and fidgeting and whatnot, but, as she was not normal, so all she felt was a dead calm. Even so, the more human part of her drove her to whisper, as she knelt by Leia's side, 'Survive, please, milady, be strong, and live to fight another day!'.

Then, she leaned against the wall. All she could do now, was wait.

Leia eventually woke, woozy from pain and confused by the mantle. It took an hour of speaking in hushed tones before she understood completely. Then, Ellen came in, with unneeded medical supplies.

The moment the door closed, she collapsed onto the bench.

'I'm sorry!' It all came pouring out.

Fortunately, the cameras were all off.

While Petra the handmaiden could feel sympathy for Ellen, she would also feel anguish, bitterness, and hate. The Dusk of Nyx was no one, and no one felt nothing. Ellen was facing Petra. Petra was in her own way, icy.

'I told you so Ellen.' A child's voice, too innocent for what she would say hissed, 'I told you that the Empire's agents were corrupt and cruel, I told you that they had no concept of justice, I told you that the Empire does not keep its word. Yet you did not believe me until you saw an atrocity that was more than any other. What use is your belief now? You might have prevented this before, but now, all you can do, is to wallow in regret with us, and then, for the rest of your life. That is, if you survive for long.'

It was a risk to hurt the potential defector, but a sensible one. Making the mark feel even guiltier would tip the scales even further, and reduce her doubts. The mark was a typical hero, with ideals, and also unable to sacrifice even a single innocent, or break a single promise that she believed in. That was why she was the good cop working in intelligence, and not a field agent, so the knowledge that she had broken a promise to a devastated child would turn the mark against the Empire, even more than when the mark saw a planet getting destroyed.

Also, it was important that the mark's loyalty was to one of the leaders of the rebellion, not to a single agent. If the mark felt that the rebellion was also cruel, it would have doubts. But if it was the agent who was a child who accused the mark, than it would merely drive the mark towards self loathing, as the child's anger would be personal.

'Enough.' Leia snapped. Despite the fact that Leia was in some ways, just as irrational as Anakin Skywalker, she was expected to be the more mature one, due to her appearance of age. So, Petra put up a token of protest, before 'grudgingly' falling silent.

'Ellen,' Leia said in a gentler tone, 'do you still need to cry?'

After a shake of her head as Ellen slumped on the bench, Leia continued. 'Was there a reason for you coming here? You put yourself at great risk, Ellen.'

'Yes, Ellen said, voice hoarse. 'There was. A ship was found approaching the Death Star, and two of the stormtroopers that came out of the ship were not the ones that went in. Also, I noticed a figure in robes disabling the tractor beam. A rescue is coming, and it can succeed.'

Leia nodded. 'Thank you. Will you be coming with us?'

Ellen nodded, 'Yes, thank you.'

As the two spoke, the Fox huddled into a corner, fading into the background. It considered that the mark was able to see past the suggestions that Kenobi used to turn away prying eyes. If it was Earth, then it would have been easy to label the mark (mission: succeeded) as clear-sighted, but as the mark's sight was not Grecian in origin, the Fox was at loss. The Fox filed the thing away under the mental category of species of unsolved mysteries.

 _The Devil's commentary:_

 _Andromeda's mind, you see, is just…special. She was raised without memories of love and family, which almost makes me feel sorry for her. That unique experience growing up in the library of Alexandria gave her a very layered mind, honed by that disgusting mindless cruelty from those agents in the Red Room. Her labyrinth of a mind includes an ocean of blood, filled with all sorts of interesting creatures, and she hides her thoughts and memories in it. It is ingenious, one of the only commendable traits of those mud monkeys, but, since she is relying on the other mud monkeys' stupidity to be unable to adapt to a world without air with sufficient speed, she will have to change tactics when she goes against that revolting brat, Erebus. **[A long rant on Erebus is edited out by the author, since it uses the swearwords of at least thirty languages and most of them are not translatable anyway…]**_

The door opened. The Fox smiled. The game was on. It was looking forward to releasing that giant octopus like sewage monster onto the stormtroopers, but for that, the Daughter of Neptune was needed. The corners of eyes that were just a bit inhuman, curled as Petra Fury smiled sweetly. 'Thank you then, Luke Skywalker, now, shall we go? I believe that poor smuggler and his Wookie friend are both getting impatient. She got out cheerfully snagging a blaster as she went out of the cell.

 **B** **e very scared, stormtroopers. The Devil is laughing.**

 **R &R please,**

 **Most sincerely,**

 **N** **obody.**


	5. Escape and a MISTAKE

**Disclaimer: anything you recognize, it** **'** **s not mine.**

The trip went without mishap, for apparently Ellen's authority was enough to keep the troopers away, and her betrayal was apparently still unknown, and when the troopers were just a bit smarter, Alderaan's lament was sufficient to distract them for long enough for the party to shoot them down. The Fox was felt quite smug about its creation, and also, _men_. Even when the woman was on the opposing side, and quite obviously not an ally, those idiotic creatures would still gape and gawp at the female in question, though the Fox supposed that some allowance could be made, since the Queen of Alderaan was quite an awesome sight, garbed in pure white, with an expression of rage mixed with anguish, and the hints of otherworldly song sounding from another plane surrounding her. A few natives of Alderaan actually begged for forgiveness on their knees.

After they were on the _Falcon,_ Petra did what she could, and then left the 'adults' to the business of escaping (she did inform them about the tracking device, but they couldn't find it). She hunkered down in a suitable space, and closed her eyes. Immediately, she was transported to an empty space glowing pure white. Somehow, her feet were hanging above her. It was a four or five dimensional space that wasn't her creation, and, since there was only one other occupant in her head…

'Lucifer.' The Dusk of Nyx said. 'What is it?'

There was no answer. That was a typical technique, but it was not the deceiver's usual methods.

She reached for her senses, grounding herself with the smell of Solo's ship, with the feeling of its walls against her skin. She woke up.

But there was still something suspicious. She could smell antiseptic, hospital smells, could hear a _voice_ , noting, 'unfortunate, so she does still retain loyalties to SHIELD.' That couldn't be correct. She had passed, had managed to trick the telepath, after all, 120-D-32 was loyal to the Red Room. Doubt crept in though, could the past four years been an illusion, a working of her own mind? To create a false world in the full sight of her opponents, exposing all her goals, all her weaknesses, to truly break her, to allow the Room to turn her into no more than a weapon…

'The subject's awake.'

She opened her eyes. There they were, the walls, the ceiling, Zola. She was back. Or was she? She could sense every molecule of water, every bit of the sea. Nothing was out of place.

Apart from the fact that she could not feel her own blood.

'Morningstar.' Andromeda said calmly, 'may I speak to you?'

Finally the Devil appeared, and he was in his true form. She should have, would have gone mad. So, she used Perseus' solution to such matters. She turned her back and looked at Lucifer through a mirror that wasn't there before. The Devil pouted, or at least, he gave an impression of pouting. But, if there was anything that the Devil hated, it was boredom. So, after a minute or two, the scene shifted, to when that mutated giant octopus crawled out of garbage chute.

Then, to facilitate communication, he took his true vessel's appearance and sat next to her on the ground. Commentary began. Stormtroopers fired at &*$%clickommm } (or something of the like, half of the name it gave was conveyed in gestures and vibrations), but lasers were not at all effective against primordial sea monsters of the deeps.

Oh looky! Another one of those idiot beetles dead!

Now, three more! That lot will die and good riddance.

Come on Andy! You're ignoring me! Don't!

A knife poked her in the ribs, icy cold, as was his default setting for everything.

Andromeda maintained her irritated mask and looked to the left, where not-very-old Scratch (Sam) was trying to get her attention.

A few more minutes, before the playful-ish madman demeanor turned to the icy cold of the Fallen Archangel. He didn't bother with talking, for after all, Evenstar was closely linked to Morning.

 _Andromeda you_ _'_ _re a deadly weapon, not at all_ _averse_ _to condemning others of my Father_ _'_ _s creation to death, but how come you forgot that though the Prophet may have seen the happenings, he does not see everything?_

They were in the cell. Leia's blood was all over it. Curses, BLOOD. Vader would find out about Leia. Then, with the added video footage of Luke, a match with his ID, and a stroll down the memory lane, Anakin Skywalker would know about his children. The only reason that she did not curse anything was because, well, creating Arai to attack her superiors was not a smart move, and it was her own fault anyways.

As if from great distance, she felt the Falcon land. No one now acted as Petra the handmaiden, just an insignificant child following Princess-Queen Leia.

She got up, and followed the rest down the ramp, eyes and the corner of her outer dress wet with water (not tears).

A couple of hours, a few manipulations, and one history lesson later, it wasn't no one's concern anymore, so, she found a nice, out-of the way corner, left a note for the higher ups, and sat down in the position usually assumed by unfortunates with shock. Then, it was time to deal with the Devil, talk to him about the issue of Alderaan's essence being concentrated into a Mantle of Power that was basically an act similar to how the mundane world at large thought that the Infinity Stones were made. (Concentrating the energy and essence of a galaxy, or in this case, planet, into a ingot of impossible power density), and create a curriculum for how to use the power of a planet destroyed by humanity's darkness without suffering from destruction of mind and soul, and also without destroying too much of the Empire in a fit a Anguish and causing Palpatine to become desperate enough to get Thanos' attention,. Which would quite possibly mean him getting two pets with one act of mass destruction, AKA Leia and the current Dusk of Nyx, even if that fool didn't know it yet. He would though, after all, even if his knowledge of divinities was outdated enough for him to think that her father was Oceanus, he wouldn't believe that someone not of Night's House would be able to handle that much energy that precisely, and have the knowledge to do so too. Then, with the Infinity Stones he possessed in hand, it would be only be a matter of time before she became one of his child/weapons, and, with what she knew and what she already could do, it might mean the Morningstar on Earth (the Apocalypse), or, Nyx throwing her into the Lethe for as long a time as required, before retraining. Neither were pleasant prospects.

 **Most of the events in ANH are not included, save in the vaguest terms, since George Lucas did see Dusk, but, due to Nyx and God, he couldn't put anything of the like onto any sort of record, which means, that though Dusk influenced the events of the Original Trilogy to happen mostly as they did, he would automatically delete her from the scenes he wrote. AKA, everything happens as it did in the movies, mostly. Dusk wants to be able to know what happens next after all.**

 **R &R  
** **Most Sincerely,  
** **Nobody**


	6. Big Brother and Hoth (Hel)

**Disclaimer: anything you recognize, it** **'** **s not mine.**

 **I** **n which Dusk has an over-possessive semi-adoptive elder brother.** **T** **he Queen of Alderaan obtains the help of Hoth** **themsel** **f, and the** **author** **complains about the lack of non-gender specific pronouns.**

The only good thing of having the Devil adopt one as their ( **his will be used for simplicity** **'** **s sake in the following chapters** ) sister was that he now gave instruction before he tried to kill or torment one, Andromeda mused, and one could now banter to some degree with him.

'Sometimes,' she thought to him, 'I really can not see whether you are being nice or not.' She indicated the bits of internal organs and semi-solidified blood that made up her meal. There was a sea-green eyeball on her tray, as well as a numerous poisonous fruits and berries. She was sure that she saw belladonna, a pokeberry and some mistletoe ones, not to mention a few mythical poisons (there was a Mandrake root).

The Devil gave her a falsely innocent look. 'Of course I'm being nice, sister dearest!'

Andromeda smiled politely at him as she replied, 'Then you have my thanks. I was getting tired of the MRE nutritional pastes, they had no variation.'

After some consideration, she popped the eyeball into her mouth. It took a second before it changed from blood, minerals, and tears to the sour sweetness of fruit. Next, was the other non-poisonous berry, as in a single one. Dusk sighed, if she ate the poisonous ones without Lucifer changing the illusions, she would have a miserable week suffering from their effects.

'I challenge you to pick out the safe ones as soon as they appear.' Oh, so that was the purpose of his images.

But of course there was a catch. All of the plants had properties mythical in nature, and she had to invoke the memories of her predecessors, which resulted in disorientation as her mortal brain struggled to process things beyond the limit of what should be. Fortunately, the Mantle's properties helped as well as hindered, and years achieving Zola's impossible standards left her capable of choosing the more obvious ones while perusing Evenstar's knowledge for the ones she did not recognize.

She failed by a hairsbreadth, forgetting that to her, mistletoe was not harmful. This was because the pale color of the plant's berries, as well as its poisonous nature, made the plant the one the eldest of the supernatural forces associated with the Evenstar, since they were both the Evening star's pale white, and poisonous, a nod to Undomiel being the first agent, assassin, and spy.

Convulsions and blurry vision were inconvenient, since she had to accompany the Queen on audiences with other worlds. Andromeda's only relief came from Alderaan's Queen already being schooled in royal etiquette, which meant teaching her to converse with the her 'brethren' merely a matter of knowing how, without the exhausting process of practicing suitably courtly mannerisms until they became second nature.

In that case, her 'brother' was extremely helpful, even if he himself did not actively assist. An Archangel was one of the most knowledgeable beings in the universe, so even the hints he accidentally dropped helped with her ventures into uncharted territory to some extent.

Holding a conversation with Hoth was Helish, not Hellish since it was the cold, not the heat that made the experience detrimental to her health (though the Devil might disagree with her about Hell's climate). It was made so by the fact that Hoth was the concept of wind, ice and cold, which resulted in her being buffeted by raging winds. And that was _after_ Alderaan had toned it down with their power.

 _MANISFESTATION,_ _I_ _GR_ _EET YOU_ _._ _YOU ARE DIFFERENT. WHAT YOU ONCE_ _WERE_ _NOW IS NOUGHT, AND YOU ARE BOTH LESS AND MORE THAN THEY (_ **AN: it** _)._

Leia nodded.

 _Alderaan has been destroyed, by the atrocities of the Empire of mortal_ _s._ _I_ _now am what remains, the one who holds the crown, the flute, the scroll and the sword, the Queen of Alderaan, and its_ _vengeance_ _._ _T_ _his is my handmaiden, Petra Erinyes. We, along with a part of the rebellion seek thine hospitality, and refuge from the Empire Corrupt._

I HAVE HEARD THE SCREAMS OF TORMENT AS OUR KINDRED WERE TORN ASUNDER TO FUEL SENSELESS VENDETTAS, AS THEIR CHILDREN WERE SUNDERED FROM THEM, AS THEIR ENTRAILS WERE RIPPED OUT BY MORTAL DEPRAVITY. I SHALL AID YOU, AND GIVE YOU SANCTUARY, THUS I SWEAR AS HOTH OF THE WORLDS TO QUEEN ALDERAAN.( **AN: the phrasing was deliberate** )

It was at this point that Petra was thankful of her Lady's emphasis on concealment of one's true nature, for the embodiment of Hoth came forward to examine her, and its wind tore like needles into her skin.

 _HELLO, YOUNG WEAPON, I HAVE HEARD WHISPERS OF YOU FROM OTHERS OF MY ORDER, WHO ALL REGARD YOU WITH RESPECT AN APPROVAL._

Andromeda internally flinched. She technically was a weapon, but being blatantly regarded as such was rather discomforting, especially since it was stated matter-a-factly.

She spoke, instead of communicating intent as the other two were doing (normal demigods did not have such abilities).

Salutations, Hoth. I thank thee for thine compliments and thine hospitality. I offer thee the only gift I may give as repayment, apart from an oath to thee of the Empire's Fall, tales true of worlds far away spoken by the Silvertongue.

THAT IS SATISFACTORY. I LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING OF THE TALES LEARNT FROM THE TALESPINNER AND LIESMITH, LOKI OF ASGARD.

Leia curtsied shallowly, as a Queen to an equal, while Petra executed a much deeper bow.

 _I now take your leave._

The two than departed.

Both came out of their meditation in Leia's room aboard the freighter. Leia spoke first, her sense of justice inflamed by the fact that her friend and most trusted confidante basically regarded herself as a weapon, and not as a person.

'You didn't tell me that you thought of yourself as no more than an asset, Petra! I know that your past was abusive, and that your hands are stained with the blood of hundreds-'

'Thousands.' Petra broke in quietly, 'at least tens of thousands. Killed mercilessly, in cold blood, and what is more, they were my enemies, so I do not regret my actions, even now. I swim in multitudinous seas incarnadined by the blood shed by by my hands, but I do not drown. Their deaths do not affect my perception of self. I was a normal person once, but I was then made into a weapon. Who I once was has been put to rest now, with the deaths of my creators and masters.'

'But you do feel as a sapient being does, you do have a moral code, and you do retain Free Will. Petra, you are a person, even if you were used by HYDRA.'

'I am both person and weapon. The person is merely the force that keeps the weapon from being used for evil, and the force that gives the weapon a purpose.'

As with every time Leia saw the more vulnerable side of her closest and near constant companion, she wished fervently to make the Red Room and HYDRA suffer for what they had done to a child.

Petra rose.

'I shall inform the captain of our successful negotiations, and tell him that it is safe to land.'

Familiar with Petra's need to be useful and compulsive competency, Leia nodded.

'Go.'

Out of Leia's range of awareness, Andromeda's Devil on the shoulder appeared.

 _Bait for Thanos, better to be stronger than he predicted, than to be weaker. Also, if I were 'normal' I would not think as I do._

She thought, anticipating her brother's question.

He petted her on the head.

'Good job, little sis.' He said.

 **That line about the incarnadine sea is paraphrased from _Macbeth_. It's spoken by Lady Macbeth after her part in the murder of King Duncan. The lines are thus: 'Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood/ Clean from my hand? No, this my hand will rather/ The multitudinous seas incarnadine,/ Making the green one red.**

 **Read and review please,**

 **Most sincerely,**

 **Nobody**


	7. A revelation of parentagePercy&Annabeth

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize.**

 _In which the Big Reveal of her parentage will happen to Leia, and Percy and Annabeth negotiate with an irritatingly terrified court of the sea._

* * *

Milady, there is something about your parentage that I must tell you about.'

Petra was grim as she stood outside the base with Leia. The Queen of Alderaan was still protective of her, and felt pity enough to sympathize and 'understand' her handmaiden's keeping of secrets.

'What is it then, Petra?'

The girl cast a few drops of blood onto the frozen water, consecrating the it in the name of Oceanus. She raised a armchair, fluffed with snow.

'You may wish to sit down for this.'

Leia sat, concern in her eyes. The snow and wind ceased in a circle around them, Hoth's giving of sanctuary providing her, a neighboring queen, with some degree of comfort.

'The power of Alderaan, as you know, is great and the Mantle I crafted from what remained after their destruction was at the beginning, enough to destroy one if one's strength of mind and soul was not enough.'

'Yet I did survive Petra, and only grew stronger because of it.' Leia pointed out.

Petra raised an eyebrow, before explaining, 'Did you think that I would risk your life without some degree of certainty that it would work, milady? Part of your strength comes from your bloodline, your unique heritage. Your father was, or rather is, strong in the Force too. Some might even say that he was the strongest.'

* * *

'So, my father was a Jedi? But the Jedi were exterminated by Vader! If he survived, why isn't he part of the rebellion?'

'Your father _was_ a Jedi, milady. The Jedi were exterminated Vader. Yes, he does survive.' Petra took a deep breath, more for Leia than for herself, ignoring her adoptive brother rolling in the snow laughing. 'He was Anakin Skywalker. You are the secret daughter of him and Padme Amidala of Naboo. You were a secret, for the Jedi were forbidden to form attachments, marry, or have children. His fear for your mother lead to his taking desperate paths. It turned him against the Jedi. He is Darth Vader. Also, he knows.'

The storm surged. The winds swept around, screaming as they circled the eye of calm where Leia sat in shock.

'This can not be true.' She whispered.

'Yet I do not lie, and neither have I been wrong about such matters.' A child, only kept from shivering by force of will replied.

Leia laughed a bitter laugh.

'Then is that not ironic? One of the leaders of the rebellion, the face most well known, is the illegitimate child of the hated fist of the Empire!'

Petra shook her head, 'Not illegitimate, milady. Your birth parents were secretly married, and it was partially because of his love for her that he destroyed the Jedi, and chose to serve Sheev Palpatine, or rather, Darth Sidious.'

'Does that change anything? So, born of a secret union and not of a fit of passion, does that change who I am? Blood to the greatest evil in the Empire, save for the Emperor himself!'

Like her father, Leia was wild in her anguish, and the weather was affected by her power. Hopefully, the Mantle would influence her to not sink into the madness of the dark side. As good fortune would have it, Leia was first and foremost Queen, and was the daughter of Queen Amidala of Naboo.

She rose from the chair of sculpted ice, shoulders drawn back and head raised high. 'Though I may have his genes, he is not my father. I was raised by Bail Organa and his wife Breha, I am not the daughter of the monster who condoned the deaths of billions of innocents, who killed my parents, and who tortured me!'

Leia's handmaiden watched steadily, and answered, 'Of course milady. No choice has there ever been for who our blood kin are, but families are what we choose to make them to be. However, it would do you well to be cautious of your emotions, for despite the Mantle's influence, you still bear some of Vader's traits, and thus, blind wrath and rage will oft lead you astray, and the Emperor will be waiting.'

Leia had regained her equilibrium, and her sense, so she turned to the only person in the rebellion who had any useful knowledge of the usage of the Force. 'You can teach me to use the Force without becoming like him.'

The snow swirled softly, gently, concealing all the marks of Leia's rage beneath it. It was cold.

The Fox nodded, 'To use the Force, yes, but to become a Jedi, no. I was schooled under the tutelage of the Red Room, and they were more concerned with creating a weapon, not a person with a sacred duty to serve.'

Leia softened, 'It is enough, as long as it isn't to unpleasant for you.' She paused, 'But why did you not tell me sooner?'

Petra smiled sadly, 'You saw what happened when you were told. I predicted that you would react in a way that damages the surrounding area, so I thought it would be best if you did so in a place where you did not need to worry about property damage, or be running for your life while you come to terms with what you now know. It is cold, I know, but this is will be what you will learn from me. So, consider carefully, do you wish to share my burden as a player in the game of shadows? For being a player merely means being an pawn who knows that she is one to another, and taking a conscious role in this game will cause you to forever see people as tools, as well as beings sapient.'

'I will still do it,' Leia replied, then, she seemed to realize something. 'Luke is my brother. I kissed my brother.'

'To be fair,' Petra pointed out reasonably, 'you didn't know that he was your brother at that time. Also, it is cold out here, may we go inside?

* * *

 **Now, to see what the rest of the demigods are doing.**

Percy and Annabeth were not in the best of moods. Still, they smiled politely as a councilor pointed out that it was absurd to even suggest releasing the beasts of the depths that were chained in the most deserted parts of the sea, and since they won in the wars against foes that claimed to be more powerful than Lord Poseidon and his brothers the last two times, they should be able to win against another. A square-faced pufferfish then added, that since Nyx claimed that Thanos was but a shadow of his former might, and that he had been reduced to such by the Evening Star, weakest of the Lights of Heaven, shouldn't Nyx or Her Dusk be able to destroy him? Therefore, was it not possible that this was all a manipulation by the Lady of Shadows to gain power and restore the place of her own paramour? This was followed by suspicions being voiced of whether the Bastard Prince was certain that he was not being deceived by his sister?

That was the last straw for the Royal Family.

'Enough!' Poseidon roared, as he slammed his trident into the ground. 'Do you doubt my ability to see into the mind of my own child?'

Percy then stepped forward to speak. 'My sister Petra born to House Fury became Night's Dusk to spare me Nyx's rightful wrath, which had to be risked to win the war against the Earth Mother. She sacrificed herself out of loyalty to a brother she never met! Is that not proof that she is loyal? She also has the surname Fury, and their House Words are Opus Primus, duty first. Need I remind you all, that the line of her mother was descended from Eve's last bastard, and despite their having purgatorial blood in their veins as the cause of their long life and vitality, they have always been spymasters, spies, and assassins who do their duty to protect the world.'

Then, Annabeth spoke, 'As to the purpose of the Queen of Night, we should not worry, for worry is meaningless when dealing with the mother of the Fates, Patron of spies. We will be played as puppets if she desires it to be so, as were Gaea and the Crooked one. Also, the reason why the last two wars have been won was that Nyx had been assisting us from the shadows. This war is one that will be fought in the light, and this time, we shall have no higher power making sure of our victory.

Nyx will not use Her power, great though it might be, for it would ravage worlds, destroy civilization, and bring about strife unparalleled. Therefore, it is only sensible that we aid Her, for if this war is lost, she shall use Erebus' greatest fear.

Is it not better to release but a brute beast, than to cause the Doors of Night's House to open wide, so that a greater power with a cunning mind comes forth?'

The light of the glowing pearls seemed to brighten and become cold and harsh.

'What is the one you speak of?' Amphitrite asked, grave.

Percy gazed at the court steadily, 'One who has nursed great hatred of Erebus since before the beginning of time, for-'

'There has been no greater hatred, than the icy cold malignancy of the one whose most beloved sibling was lost to him due to the Lesser Darkness six times and once more.' Triton finished, grim.

 **I think I made it quite obvious about who they were talking about. Also, next chapter is about Hazel an Steve negotiating with the imprisoned Magneto. I'm using the X-men: Days of Future past timeline, a bit before the events start, so Charles is walking at the cost of his abilities, Erik is in non-metal prison, and Wolvy ad the rest are gods know where, but I'm not including that speedster into this story, although I'm using him as the face for Pietro instead of AoU! Pietro.**

 **Most sincerely,**

 **Nobody**


End file.
